Every year at the Volkswagen celebration in Wörthersee, apprentices from the Wolfsburg brand nervously take the wraps off a new concept. And this, ladies and gentlemen, is the 2017 version: the two-door Golf GTI First Decade.
Yes, 13 apprentices from Volkswagen and Sitech have created the first GTI that features electric propulsion. As the name indicates, this show car is the tenth apprentices’ GTI to be presented at the Wörthersee meeting in Austria.
The vehicle was created in a little less than nine months on the basis of ideas provided by apprentices in six vocations. In both the interior and exterior design, VW says the five women and eight men (aged from 18 to 23 years) were inspired by “the many and varied blue tones of water and sky on the Wörthersee”.
The Golf GTI First Decade combines a 300 kW petrol engine driving the front wheels with a 48-volt electric motor that drives the rear wheels (the latter with a maximum output of 12 kW). VW says the two drive systems can be used separately, but also “work hand-in-hand when required”.
The mild electric propulsion system offers the benefits of zero-emission, silent driving during parking manoeuvres and for short distances in residential areas or in stop-and-go traffic. Thanks to regenerative braking, the two batteries at the rear of the show car are charged. On more demanding surfaces, the combination of front- and rear-wheel drive is also available.
The Golf is painted in “Atlantic Blue Metallic” and the doors and rear side panels furthermore feature large areas of foil in the contrasting colour of “Satin Ocean Shimmer”. Stripes of glossy blue chrome foil underline the racing design, while rally stripes on the bonnet and roof take up the composition of three blue tones with contrasting foils.
Then there’s the high-gloss black paintwork of the honeycomb grille, the Clubsport rear spoiler and the 20-inch alloy wheels.
Inside, VW says the driver’s seat can be adjusted electrically using an app on a smartphone or tablet. Instead of rear seats and a luggage compartment, the rear of the vehicle houses a high-end sound system with 1 690 watts courtesy of 11 loudspeakers and a subwoofer, as well as a special rear Hi-Fi installation with LED lighting on a carbon-covered base plate. The batteries and control electronics for the electric rear-axle drive system are installed under the base plate.
The Golf GTI First Decade follows the Golf GTI Heartbeat of 2016.
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